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Frequently asked questions

Yes. We may authorise amateurs to operate in the UK if the administration that issued the overseas amateur radio licence is a signatory to European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) Recommendations T/R 61-01 or T/R 61-02 or if the UK has a bilateral agreement with the administration to cover the mutual recognition of amateur radio licences.

This recommendation puts in place arrangements to allow qualifying licensed amateurs from other participating states to establish and use amateur radio apparatus in the UK for up to three months without further authorisation from us. Visiting amateurs should use their overseas call sign, prefixed by M/. A UK call sign is not issued.

If you wish to apply for a license under this arrangement, you should submit a paper-based application for an Amateur Radio Examinations Certificate. In this case we will consider issuing a Reciprocal License valid indefinitely.

This recommendation puts in place arrangements to allow qualifying licensed amateurs from other participating states to establish and use amateur radio apparatus in the UK for periods in excess of three months, subject to being issued with an individual licence and call sign by us.

Other administrations

If the administration that issued your licence is not a signatory to CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02 but has a bilateral agreement with the UK for the reciprocal establishment of amateur stations, then you should submit a paper-based application to Spectrum Licensing, with evidence of your overseas licence and any examination pass certificate. In this case, we shall consider issuing a Temporary Reciprocal Licence. This will be normally be valid for six months and will be subject to renewal.

In accordance with the CEPT Recommendations T/R 61-01 and T/R 61-02 (which equates to the HAREC), only the UK Amateur FULL Radio Licence is recognised as a CEPT Class 1 licence, and as such is the only level of licence which can be operated in countries that are signatories to the aforementioned recommendations.

Ofcom is not responsible for Licensing outside of the U.K and therefore cannot guarantee to be in possession of current licensing criteria for overseas authorities. The onus therefore lays on the licensee to enquire with the appropriate authority within the country they wish to visit. Although, the United Kingdom represent Overseas Territories at the International Telecommunication Union, each are responsible for their own administration. We would therefore recommend that individuals approach the licensing authority in the country of destination for further clarification.

A licence remains valid unless we notify the licensee that the licence has been formally revoked. If we wish to revoke a licence, we must follow a prescribed process. This is set down in legislation (Schedule 1 to the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, as amended). We must formally notify you of our proposal to revoke your licence and allow you to make representations about that proposal, within a set period of time. That notification will include reasons for the proposal. At the end of the period for representations, we have a month to reach our decision though we may not need that long. We must notify you of our decision within a week of making it. If we decide to revoke your licence, only then will it be revoked and it remains valid until then. If you use your station after your licence has been revoked you commit an offence. On conviction, you risk a fine, imprisonment and the forfeiture of your station.

If we have issued a reciprocal licence against a bilateral (or similar) agreement with a country that has not signed up to the CEPT recommendation, it is a (Temporary Reciprocal) licence. Licensees will not receive a UK call sign, they will use their own callsign issued to them by the licensing authority of their own country. The licence is only valid for a period of six months.

To apply for a Club licence, the applicant must be a full licence holder and be supported by 2 other nominated full licence holders. You can now apply for Club licences online, provided you have registered with our online licensing service.

If the individual club licensee has died in the last five years, the other two members who countersigned the application (or, if either or both of them have died or moved on, two duly appointed officers of the club) should write to us jointly and let us know, so that we can cancel that licence. If the notification is accompanied by a fresh application, we shall endeavour to issue the same call sign to the club to ensure continuity.

If the individual Club licensee has become estranged from the other members of the club in the past five years, then the other members must apply for a fresh licence. That will probably entail issuing a fresh call sign.

If you want to amend the details of your individual licence (Foundation, Intermediate, Full, or Full (Club), perhaps to notify us of a new address or telephone number, you can do so using our online licensing service.

Licences are valid indefinitely, unless surrendered by the licensee or revoked by Ofcom. It is the responsibility of the licensee to confirm to us that your details (name, address and so on) remain valid.

To validate your licence, you will need to log in to the Online Licensing System. An on screen prompt will appear asking you to check and update or confirm your details, to do this use the Verify my details button.

If you wish to become licensed once more, you will need to apply again. A fee of £20 is payable, to contribute to the recovery of administration costs.

When applying, you will need to provide a copy* of any documents which prove that you previously held the call sign. This could either be:

- An old licence / validation document;- A City & Guilds Institute certificate- If you were a member of the Radio Society of Great Britain then proof of entry in a RSGB call book would also be sufficient.

The licences have the same status as the previous licences. Ofcom has taken steps to notify other regulators in Europe through arrangements such as CEPT. Ofcom is aware of other countries adopting or proposing to move to electronic licensing.